Midnight Confrontation
by lapetiteblonde
Summary: Victoria tells Conrad she's pregnant with their second child.


Silence— it immediately befell Grayson Manor the minute the last of the staff had finally gone home and, for that, Victoria was thankful. On any other day she would have appreciated their company- mostly because there was no one else to save her from her thoughts when her husband was working late nights at the office, but tonight she needed the quiet. She needed to think.

She needed to think because it had been nearly three weeks since she discovered she was pregnant and she had yet to break the news to her husband, who, as it happened, was not the father of the child she was carrying. Measures had been taken to ensure he wouldn't suspect as much, but the idea of telling him still distressed her greatly and it was only a matter of time before the symptoms of her condition began taking effect.

So she paced- up and down and up and down until, finally, she'd had enough of the repetitive movement. For a brief moment she was tempted to reach for the decanter of scotch on the wine table, but the reminder of why she was in such an anxious state to begin with promptly pulled her back to reality. Instead she walked over to the back of her husband's desk and took a seat in his prized leather chair.

God how she hated it. It was the most uncomfortable piece of furniture in the entire household, but Conrad had insisted on hand-picking all of the decor in his den- which explained the lack of accommodating chairs and obscene number of Remington horse sculptures surrounding the room. Victoria found them vulgar, but far be it from her to question the appearance of her husband's treasured sanctuary.

She scanned the familiar surroundings absentmindedly until her gaze fell on the tambour clock in front of her— half past midnight. That meant Conrad must be on his way home by now. Victoria could feel her hands threatening to shake at the thought of confronting him, for which she silently cursed herself. Suppressing her anxiety was a skill she had yet to master despite her numerous, desperate attempts. Just a few months ago her doctor had put her on Xanax, and Victoria thanked God she could safely continue taking it throughout her pregnancy. With everything that was happening in regards to David and Flight 197, she wasn't sure she'd be able to cope otherwise.

It was difficult enough having to accept the fact that her child would never come to know his or her biological father, but the understanding that she'd played a role in destroying any chance of that relationship coming to pass was something Victoria would never forgive herself for. Yet despite this she had to admit that a part of her was pleased with the idea of having another child. She had always been good with children, and she was certain her son Daniel would be thrilled to have a younger brother or sister he could play with. Still, there were other considerations. If her husband came to suspect that the child wasn't his…

The turn of a lock quickly pulled Victoria from her thoughts. She heard the front door open followed by the subtle tap of her husband's shoes on the wooden floor.

He sauntered into the foyer, briefcase in one hand and car keys in the other. A heavy sigh escaped from his lips as he headed towards the den in his routine manner, but his expression changed from one of exhaustion to one of content when he saw his wife standing in the doorway.

"How was work?" she greeted.

Conrad flashed her a look that indicated he was in no mood to discuss how his day had gone, but he offered her a swift kiss on the cheek before he entered his den and set his things down.

"You're up late," he noted as he took off his jacket.

Victoria edged closer to him, "I was waiting for you." She tried offering him a smile for good measure but there was no disguising the strain in her voice.

Conrad furrowed his brow in suspicion. Since when did his wife wait up for him? For as long as he could remember, she was sound asleep in bed every night when he came home from work. It had been like this for years now.

"Is something wrong?"

They were facing each other, but as far as Victoria could tell they were a million miles apart. For a moment she reconsidered; now wasn't the right time to tell him. Conrad had been cooped up in his office at Grayson Global since before she'd woken up this morning- and he was clearly exhausted- but if she were to lie to him now he would know, and she had already given herself away by waiting up for him.

"Do you remember when I asked you to stay with me a few nights ago?" It had been three weeks since then, but there was no need for specifics.

Conrad cocked an eyebrow. Only his wife would insult him with such a ridiculous question.

"It was the first night we were together in nearly three months, surely you don't think I'd forget that?"

Victoria refused to meet his eyes.

"Conrad, I'm pregnant."

"You're what?"

"I'm pregnant," she repeated. "I know it isn't the best time what with everything that's happening, and I know things have been strained between us ever since I…" Victoria faltered. She shouldn't have reference David; it was such an idiotic mistake.

"Victoria-"

"The truth is we should have been more careful. I'm sorry."

A horrified expression was all Conrad could muster before he was able to offer his wife the reassurance she deserved but so clearly wasn't expecting.

"I'm not," he told her.

"What?"

"I'm not sorry you're pregnant," he said while wrapping his arms around her waist and closing the space between them. "In fact, it's the only good news I've heard all day."

Victoria couldn't resist a smile, "I wasn't expecting a warm response."

"Clearly."

"What have I told you about poking fun?" she chided.

Conrad let out a laugh, "Have you told Daniel he's going to be a big brother soon?"

"Not yet, it's too early."

"Everything's going to be fine, Victoria. You have my support."

"I understand that but there's still a chance I could lose the baby. It wouldn't be the first time, and with everything that's going on right now it's very possible my body won't be able to handle it. I've been worried sick since the night of the arrest."

She hadn't meant to burden him with all of her worries, but if there was one thing Conrad was good at it was convincing her that everything would turn out okay in the end no matter how dire their circumstances currently seemed.

It was one of his few virtues, she supposed.

"Listen to me, we are having this baby. I don't want you worrying about the investigation or the company or anything else regarding Flight 197. That's my responsibility, not yours. You just focus on taking care of yourself, you hear me?"

Victoria nodded.

"You're taking your medication?"

"Mhm."

"Good." Conrad tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear, "We'll get through this, I promise."

It was hard not to believe him when he spoke with such certainty. Either that, or the lack of sleep was finally getting to her. It was well past her usual bed time and the way Conrad kept running his fingers through her hair wasn't helping.

"Thank you," she said, "for the way you took the news and for the pep talk."

"Anything for you," he returned.

Victoria offered him a hint of a smile before pulling away from their embrace, "I'm going to head up now."

"I'm afraid I can't join you just yet," Conrad frowned before leaning over to kiss the top of his wife's forehead. "I have to sign some paperwork first."

"Well I'll see you in the morning then. Goodnight, Conrad."

Victoria exited the room and made her way up the staircase, her heels tapping each step in perfect rhythm until she disappeared further into the house and the sounds eventually faded.

"Goodnight, sweetheart."


End file.
